


We Are More Than Swords For Hire

by indecisive_penguin



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Family, Gen, Loss, Lots of bad puns, Other, Romance, So much pizza, Some angst, Some mature themes, background Raphril, mainly a story about family, so many bad puns, some mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-28
Updated: 2014-11-21
Packaged: 2018-02-15 04:26:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2215773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indecisive_penguin/pseuds/indecisive_penguin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leonardo didn't believe, at first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Miss Jackson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Way down 'til the fire finally dies out  
> You've got 'em wrapped around your finger  
> Watch 'em fall down  
> There's something beautiful and tragic in the fall out  
> Let me say it one more time  
> (Tragic in the fall out)
> 
> \- Panic! At The Disco, Miss Jackson

"That's what Shredder is after?" Leo asked, leaning over the back of Donnie's computer chair.The screen showed a black and white catalog photograph of an ordinary looking katana laid out next to its sheath. Don nodded and tapped out a few commands. A new window popped up underneath the photo, this one composed mostly of text.

"This is the 'Oni no Senketsu' or 'Fresh Blood of the Demon', an antique katana forged around 1300, though the dates are debatable. It's said to be cursed, because almost every owner ended up committing suicide within a year of coming into possession of the blade. It's currently in a vault in Manhattan."

"It's here? Why don't they just hand it to Shredder?" Asked Mikey, poking his head over Donnie's other shoulder, who shrugged.

"You said 'almost every owner'. What's that mean?" Asked Leo. Don pointed to another computer screen, this one showing a newspaper article. Two photographs, one of a middle aged man and the other a young boy, are placed under the headline: Father and Son Found Brutally Murdered in Home.

"The man is Vincent Jackson, who purchased the blade 30 years ago. He was in possession of it up until his death 7 years ago, when the sword passed, along with his estate, to his remaining heir."

"Remaining?" Leo prodded. Don hit a few more keys and a color photograph popped up next to the newspaper article. It showed a young woman in her early twenties with dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. Her familial resemblance to Vincent Jackson was evident.

"This is Elizabeth Jackson, sole heir to the Jackson estate. She became the youngest billionaire in the country at age 16 when her father and brother, Oliver, were murdered. She's currently 23 and recently graduated from Barnard College with two Bachelors, one in English and one in Art History."

"Getting back on track, did you find out anything else about the sword?" Leo asked.

"Well," Donnie chewed on his lip, before turning back to his keyboard. "Most of what I found were mainly articles about the mysterious deaths associated with the blade, but there were several reputable sources that claimed there was a reason behind the curse."

A new window opened, this one showing several scanned pages, brown with age and obviously hand written. The Japanese letters had faded, but were still legible.

"I had some trouble translating a few characters, but according to this text, Senketsu was forged by a contemporary of Masamune, who bound the soul of a demon within the blade using his own blood, which supposedly made the sword impossible to wield by anyone except for the forger or an heir of his bloodline."

"Do you really believe it's possessed by a demon? Seems a little far fetched." Said Leo. Don leveled him with a look, before gesturing between the four of them.

"Right."

"I did some digging and it turns out that both Vincent and his wife, Olivia, were distant descendants of the blade smith, which means that the bloodline re-converged with their kids. It could explain the mysterious suicides before Vincent purchased the blade and why they stopped afterwards." Said Donnie.

"Except he and his son are both dead." Mikey pointed out.

"And his wife." Don added, continuing to type. More text scrolled across the computer screen with the newspaper article.

"Olivia Florence was a police officer in New York, where she met and married Vincent Jackson, heir to a multimillion-dollar fortune that he multiplied with some very lucrative stock market purchases. The two married in '89 and Elizabeth was born in '91. Olivia died giving birth to Oliver in '99."

"This is all very fascinating." Raph cut in, leaning on the back of Don's chair and making it tilt. "But can we get back to what we're going to do about Shredder?"

"It's in a vault, isn't it? I mean, Shredder is good, but come on." Said Mikey. Leo frowned.

"I don't think we can risk it. If Shredder truly believes that the sword has mystical powers, he's not going to stop until he has it."

"And the girl." Don added. His three brothers turned to look at him, and he shrugged.

"The sword by itself is useless to Shredder. Everything I've read suggests that the only one capable of wielding it or tapping into its power is the sword smith's heir."

"Which means that Elizabeth Jackson is in danger." Said Leo.

"Exactly."

* * *

Liz hated Tuesdays. Everything bad seemed to happen on Tuesdays, whether it be traffic, accidents, her period, or loud, drunken parties in the park down the street. This week it was her publicist calling, in tears, demanding to know how her latest book was coming along, ranting about deadlines. After many assurances that yes, she was working on the manuscript and yes, she knew when the deadline was, she had gone out for groceries.

Walking turned out to be the easiest part of the day, because not only was traffic atrocious, but the supermarket had apparently started renovations since the last time she had been in for milk. Everything had been moved around and it took her three times as long to find everything. The icing on the cake came when she discovered that they were out of Nutella. Frustrated, Liz left with her two bags and hiked the four blocks to her apartment. Franks, the doorman, smiled and tipped his hat as he held the door open for her. She smiled and nodded in return.

Liz had chosen this apartment building mainly for the security. That, and she shared the floor with a quiet middle aged couple and a lawyer who was never home, which meant that she had as much peace and quiet as she wanted.

The elevator dropped her off on the 35th floor and she jingled her keys as she fumbled them into the lock.

"Bruce, I'm back." She called as she kicked the door closed. She moved to the kitchen to deposit her bags and start unloading them. However, when several moments passed and her tuxedo didn't answer her, she frowned and glanced out of the kitchen towards the living room. Bruce was normally waiting at the front door to greet her, meowing his head off.

"Bruce? Here kitty, kitty." She called, pulling a can of cat food from a grocery bag and tapping it against the counter. A muffled meow made her turn towards the hallway. Putting down the can and pulling a knife from the block on the counter, she headed towards the bathroom door, which had not been closed when she left.

Slowly, she eased the door open. Bruce sat on the other side, tail lashing.

"How did you get in here?" She asked him. He meowed in response, before trotting past her and into the living room. Keeping the knife blade flat against her forearm, Liz followed him. Standing in the doorway, she watched as her cat paced in front of the couch, meowing, before sitting down in front of it and staring straight at it, keeping up his constant chatter. A few seconds passed before Liz sighed.

"You can come out, I know you're there." A muffled curse met her statement, followed by a disembodied voice.

"I come in peace, please don't freak out."

From out behind the couch came the strangest creature Liz had ever seen. He was over 6 feet tall, with dark mottled green skin, a flat face, and big gold eyes behind thick tortoise shell glasses and a purple mask. How he had fit his bulk behind her couch was a mystery, considering he had gadgets and antennae sticking out in every direction.

Liz realized that her mouth was slightly open in surprise and she snapped it shut, letting the knife handle drop into her palm, knowing the blade caught the light in a quick flash.

"And you are?"

The creature…turtle, judging by the massive shell on his back, kept his hands raised in front of his chest, hunched over slightly to make himself seem smaller. He blinked and swung his head from side to side nervously.

"My name is Donatello and I don't mean any harm." He said, eyes flicking between her and the cat, who had leapt over the couch and was currently winding its way between his legs.

Liz watched Bruce rub against Donatello's shin for a solid minute, before turning towards the kitchen.

"I'm going to need a beer for this story." She said, rubbing her temple.

She pulled up short in the doorway, however, because there were two more turtles standing on the other side of the island. One was wearing an orange mask and the other, who was so bulky he barely fit in the space, a red bandana.

She opened her mouth to say something, she wasn't sure what, when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Turning slowly, she looked up into startling blue eyes.

"Miss Jackson." Said the fourth turtle. "We need to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, dear reader.  
> I hope you enjoyed this first chapter of Swords for Hire, because we're just getting started. I've got chapter two in the works, so it should be up in the next few days.
> 
> Poor Bruce got locked in the bathroom because he wouldn't stop following Donnie around the apartment.
> 
> Next Chapter: "I threw my misconceptions about reality out the window half an hour ago when my cat caught your brother lurking behind my sofa."


	2. Hello, Hurricane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been watching the skies  
> They've been turning blood red  
> Not a doubt in my mind anymore  
> There's a storm up ahead 
> 
> \- Switchfoot, Hello Hurricane

True to her earlier prediction, Liz had not only downed a bottle of beer, but added a generous shot of whiskey to her coffee when she made a pot at the half-hour mark. She returned to the living room where the four turtles, who had explained that they were brothers, were sprawled across her furniture. Donatello, in whose lap Bruce was purring loudly, had introduced the others as Raphael, Leonardo, and Michelangelo. After passing out mugs she returned to her squishy arm chair and got comfortable.

She took a sip of coffee and leveled Leonardo, who had done most of the talking, with a long look.

"So, origin story aside, you believe that the Shredder is after the Senketsu."

"Yes." Said Leo.

"And you believe that I am in danger because the Shredder needs me to tap into the swords power?"

"Yes."

"What do you suppose we do, then? Do I run? Is there a place I could go? I imagine that if I left the country he would still find me. From what you've told me his influence is far reaching. What do we do about the sword itself? Is there a way to contain it? Everything you've found seems to suggest that passing it on to someone else isn't a good idea. How do we transport it, if we do decide to move?" Leo blinked at the onslaught of questions.

"You seem to be taking this reasonably well."

Liz waved a hand dismissively.

"I threw my misconceptions about reality out the window half an hour ago when my cat caught your brother lurking behind my sofa." She said. Don piped up.

"We really just need access to the sword. If we can hide it or destroy it, Shredder wouldn't be able to do anything even if he did get to you. Not that we want him to get to you in the first place." He added hurriedly.

"It sounds like possession is nine-tenths of the law in this situation, Don." She said. "I wouldn't exactly feel comfortable entrusting it to someone else if it will put them in danger."

"That aside, what are we gonna do, Donnie? Waltz into a Manhattan bank during business hours?" Raph asked sarcastically. Don opened his mouth to launch a scathing retort when Liz broke in.

"It's not in a bank." She said.

All four brothers turned to stare at her.

"What?" Leo sounded disbelieving.

"I moved it."

"You did?" Don asked.

"Yeah. A few months ago I was doing some preliminary research for one of my manuscripts and came across the sword in the inventory of my fathers estate. I removed it from the vault about a month ago. Three days later someone broke in, but nothing was taken. I assumed they were after the sword." Liz explained.

Leo ran a hand down his face.

"Where is it now?" He asked.

In answer, Liz stood up and left the room. A minute later she returned, holding the Oni no Senketsu in her hands. Leo gaped at her.

"You kept it here?" He asked, incredulous.

"Well, yeah, I needed to be able to examine it up close. I didn't know I was the other part of this little mythical doom-puzzle at the time." She snapped.

Don opened his mouth to speak, probably to break up the impending argument, but was interrupted when one of the gadgets attached to his left gauntlet started chirping.

"We have Foot clan activity incoming." He said, voice suddenly all business.

"How long?" Asked Leo, getting to his feet.

"10 minutes, tops."

Leo nodded, turning to Liz.

"They're coming for you. We need to move you and the sword as quickly as we can." He said. Liz nodded, standing up.

"I'll pack a bag." She said.

5 minutes later and Liz was handing Bruce to Mikey, who cradled the fluffy tuxedo gingerly in his big hands. She handed her backpack to Don and her duffel to Raph, who hung it off one arm like an oversized purse. Liz would have laughed at the analogy if she wasn't already riding an adrenaline high. Lastly, she carefully tied Senketsu over her back, settling the strap securely across her chest.

"Alright." She said.

"Let's go."

* * *

 

Liz pulled up short behind Leo. The four brothers had kept her between them throughout their flight from her apartment building and into the sewers. Now, after countless twists and turns in the maze of dark tunnels, they'd stopped in front of what appeared to be a dead end. A moment later, however, Leo had pulled a hidden lever and swung the huge circular door open, revealing an octagonal open space beyond it.

Liz blinked rapidly at the sudden influx of light, as soft as it was, waiting for Raph to pass her in order to peek out into the space, watching him jump lightly to the floor below. She glanced up and caught a brief glimpse of high, vaulted ceilings before she was unexpectedly grabbed from behind. She let out a squeak of surprise as Leo picked her up under the arms and handed her down to Raph, who carefully gripped her waist and placed her back on her feet like she weighed nothing.

From the floor the ceiling seemed that much higher, the walls lined with racks holding weapons and decorated with graffiti in various levels of skill and age. Through two archways she could see the glow of computer screens and neon, as well as what could only be described as a marvel, a couch constructed entirely of pizza boxes and steel pipe. As she stepped closer she could also see a doorway beyond the computer monitors that appeared to lead to a kitchen. To her right was another open space, the back wall completely covered with boom boxes and strung with christmas lights.

Mikey, who was still carrying Bruce, materialized at her side. The cat squirmed and leapt the short distance from his hands to her shoulders, settling himself around her neck like a scarf.

"Home sweet home, or, in this case, sewer sweet sewer." Mikey grinned, scratching Bruce behind the ear. The cat meowed. Liz stepped into the living room the get a better look at the couch and felt herself smile.

"This place is incredible." She said.

"You are aware we're in the sewers, right?" Raph asked tersely. Liz shrugged.

"You've taken a space that many humans would consider useless and turned it into something amazing." She pointed out. Bruce suddenly swung his head to the side, ears twitching and tail lashing. Liz turned to look in the same direction and froze. From out of the shadows stepped an old rat, huge, liquid black eyes trained on her. She swallowed reflexively.

"And who is this?" He asked, voice mild, though Liz could sense something else under the calm tone, something sharp. Leo stepped up beside her.

"Dad, this is Elizabeth Jackson. Liz, this is our father, Splinter." He glanced between the two of them, seemingly nervous. Liz cast him a look before stepping forward to offer the old rat her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I apologize for dropping in on you so unexpectedly." She said. Splinter nodded, accepting her handshake, before he cocked his head to the side.

"I hope you'll forgive my bluntness, Miss Jackson, but I only sent my sons to retrieve the Senketsu."

"Ah, no, that's his fault." Said Liz, pointing to the cat still draped around her neck. The cat and the rat regarded each other for several long moments, before Splinter nodded again.

"I see. Well, welcome to our home, Miss Jackson. Leonardo, why don't you make our guest some tea? I believe we have much to discuss." 

 

* * *

 

Leo woke to the sound of someone puttering around in the kitchen. He glanced over his shoulder to the hammock they had strung up the night before, only to find it empty. It was actually one of their old bunks, the only one left over after the others had been cannibalized to make newer, larger versions, but it was just the right size for Liz's petite frame. 

Sitting up, he saw Mikey across from him yawning hugely and rubbing his eyes, while Don fumbled for his glasses. To his right, Raph gave a grunt and rolled over, sticking his face deeper into his pillows in an attempt to drown out the waking world.

The sound of bare feet padding towards them announced Liz's arrival as she stuck her head around the divider between their "room" and the living room.

"I made breakfast. Didn't know what you guys liked, so I made plenty of bacon and pancakes." She said, smiling. Leo noticed that, despite the sincerity in her smile, her eyes were slightly bloodshot and the dark circles under them were more pronounced than they had been the day before. He heaved himself to his feet.

"We'll be a few minutes." He said. She nodded, turning and walking away, humming under her breath.

"What time is it?" Mikey asked plaintively, yawning again. Don, who had wrangled his glasses onto his face, fumbled his watch from the pile of gear beside his bed.

"6:30." He said. Raph gave a pained groan, but obligingly rolled over and out of bed. Once the four had sorted their gear and clothes together, they shuffled into the kitchen, where Liz was sitting on the counter, swinging her feet and munching on pancakes. Bruce was eating on the floor by the fridge, pieces of bacon sprinkled on his canned food.

True to her word, the table had been laid with an impressive stack of pancakes, syrup, and a big platter of bacon. Don pushed his glasses up his nose, a clear indicator that he was impressed. Mikey had already raided the fridge for drinks while Raph retrieved plates, leaving Leo to gather utensils. They had just seated themselves and had started passing food around when Splinter appeared in the doorway. Liz paused in her chewing. Leo had noticed the night before that she seemed especially respectful towards their father, and while he appreciated it, he was curious as to why.

Liz swallowed her mouthful and nodded to the rat as he passed her. He smiled in return, pausing to scratch Bruce behind the ear as the cat came up to him.

"I was planning on going to pick up some stuff tomorrow, so if anyone has any special grocery requests, please write them down." She indicated a pad of paper on the counter beside her, already half full of compact, messy handwriting. Splinter, who had sat down to eat, nodded again.

"We appreciate it, Miss Jackson."

"I'm a guest. It's the least I could do." She mumbled sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck before going back to mopping up maple syrup with a folded pancake.

She finished her plate first, hopping off the counter to put it in the sink. She moved to turn the water on when Splinter stopped her.

"Please leave it, Miss Jackson. It is Raphael's turn for dishes today." She nodded in understanding, before turning and disappearing back through the doorway, leaving them to finish their breakfast.

Once the boys had cleaned up and dispersed, Splinter went in search of their guest. He found her already in the dojo, doing stretches in yoga pants and an old t-shirt, hair bound at the back of her head.

"Are you ready, Miss Jackson?" He asked. She straightened and nodded, looking determined.

"As per our agreement, I will train you so that you may wield the Senketsu effectively. Hopefully, this will give you a fighting chance, should you be forced to face the Shredder. Now, let us begin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The agreement came down to this: You know about us and where we live, but we can help you prepare against the crazy psycho who's after you. All you need to do is grocery shop and let the big rat put you through hell 5 to 6 days a week. Oh, and don't tell anyone about us. Easy, right?
> 
> Liz doesn't sleep much anyway but she slept even less the first night, partly because she was thinking a lot about what happened, and partly because Raph and Mikey snore something awful.


	3. Vampire Money

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everybody hurry till the tax man comes  
> Glimmer like Bolan in the morning sun  
> And get your finger on the trigger  
> Tap the barrel of the gun
> 
> \- My Chemical Romance, Vampire Money

It starts in the kitchen.

Leo notices the new toaster when he walks in to find Mikey fiddling with it one afternoon about a week after Liz moved in. 3 days later and there's a new coffee maker and a blender sitting on the counter. Over the next few weeks Raph gets a new punching bag and 6 skeins of angora yarn that feel like touching clouds, Donnie gets a pair of glasses that aren't broken and actually fit his face, Mikey even gets two cardboard boxes of vintage comic books, while Splinter receives an impressive assortment of organic loose leaf tea and a handmade porcelain tea set.

Not to mention the groceries. Every little thing that gets written on the weekly grocery list gets purchased, sometimes in multiples, and the kitchen and pantry are always well stocked.

Leo finds little things that were broken around the lair replaced or fixed. Two of the computer screens get upgraded, all five of them receive goose down comforters for the winter, actual towel racks appear in the bathroom, broken game controllers get replaced, sheets of butter soft leather to make into clothes and gear appear in the workshop. And small reminders of Liz's presence start popping up everywhere. Her favorite cereal joins theirs in the cupboard, bottles of shampoo and conditioner on the shelf in the shower, hair ties abandoned on tables. Books soon overflow from their once meager shelves, collections of Hemingway, Poe, and Angelou crammed in with science fiction and DIY How-To books. There's a corner of their bedroom that's been taken over, a metal locker filled with neatly folded clothes, recently read books stacked beside it, a small collection of cd's tucked in next to journals filled with compact, messy handwriting and pencil sketches. The hammock turns into a suspended nest, full of pillows and blankets, and cat hair becomes commonplace on everything.

It makes Leo feel slightly uncomfortable, though he isn't quite sure why.

He does the worst thing he can think of, he confronts her.

"You're buying us things." He half-says, half-accuses, catching her coming out of training with Master Splinter. She's soaked in sweat, her t-shirt sticking to her back and her hair slicked against the sides of her neck. She blinks at him, caught mid-motion as she's wiping her face with a towel.

"Yes." She says, a simple statement, like its normal.

"Why?" He asks. She shrugs.

"I have more money than I'll ever know what to do with. Plus, it makes me feel a little better, like I'm not imposing as much." He gestures impatiently to the lair, suddenly exasperated.

"You've replaced almost every broken appliance and piece of equipment in the whole place. You even got Mikey that new game console and Donnie a box of computer parts to cannibalize, not to mention the weight training equipment for Raph. What are you going to do next, Liz, buy us a yacht?" He asks. She cocks her head to the side, considering him.

"That depends."

"On _what_?" He asks, incredulous.

"Do you _want_ a yacht?"

"I… _no_!"

She sighs, taking a long swig from the water bottle in her hand.

"Look, Leo, when I was 16 I inherited about 2 and a half billion dollars. It's done nothing except pay for college and accrue 5% interest for almost 8 years. If it makes your lives more comfortable, then I'd gladly give you all of it." She said. She pauses with the water bottle half-way to her lips, considering him.

"However, if me buying stuff for you guys makes you uncomfortable, I will stop." She continues. He regards her for several long moments, caught between wanting to identify the unknown feeling constricting his chest and the sincerity in her words.

"Just, slow down a little, okay? I know the others enjoy all the presents, but its kind of overwhelming." She nods in understanding.

"Okay."

And it ends, just like that. Sure, things that break still get fixed, but the sheer amount of stuff coming into the lair trickles off to almost nothing.

Though Leo does find a beautiful set of Damascus steel throwing knives under his pillow. His heart does a little flip and he wonders if the feeling in his chest just might be fondness.

* * *

"Pst. Lizzie." She looks up from the chess board to see Mikey peeking around the edge of the door. She turns back to the board in time to watch Don move his knight into an attack position.

"Yes, Mikey?" She asks, moving her bishop to protect her king. Mikey steps fully into the room, coming to stand over her shoulder.

"Come play a game with me." He wheedled.

"I am playing a game." She said, moving her pawn further across the board. Mikey started poking her shoulder, but she ignored him.

"No, come play a video game with me." He whined.

"Why don't you ask the others?" Said Don, cursing softly when her queen took his last bishop.

"I did." Said Mikey, leaning down so he could put his chin on Liz's shoulder. She continued to ignore him as Don's knights once more moved to attack her king. "They both told me no."

"Well, I'll probably end up telling you the same thing. I'm no good at video games." Said Liz, killing off one of Don's knights in exchange for a rook. Mikey snorted.

"How can you be bad at video games?" He asked.

"Simple." Said Liz, moving her queen to protect her pawn as it moved across the board. "There's lots of shouting and button mashing." Mikey made a plaintive little noise as Don tried to castle his king at the last minute.

"Please?" Liz doesn't look up, but she could tell that the youngest brother was using his infamous puppy-face. She sighed, moving her pawn within range.

"Once I'm done here, I'll come play with you, okay?" She said, as Don tried to block her with his remaining knight, apparently only just realizing what she was planning. Mikey whooped and pumped his fist in the air as she moved her pawn onto the last row of the board, exchanging it for another queen.

"Checkmate." She said and Don groaned.

"How'd you do that?" Asked Mikey, suddenly, sharply, a lot more interested in what the two of them are doing.

"My math and science tutor was also a Grandmaster. He taught me how to play when I was 9." She turns away from the board to look at Mikey.

"I'm warning you now, you're better off playing against Splinter." She said.

"You can't be that bad." Said Mikey skeptically. Liz snorted.

"I tried to learn in college, but my roommate kept trying to tell me how to play when all I wanted was to figure it out myself. I got so fed up that I threw the controller at her head. She never let me touch her console again. " She said. Mikey spread his arms and did a mock bow.

"Well, we have to have a do-over. M'lady, prepare for the best night of gaming of your life." He declared, before bounding out of the room. Liz exchanged a look with Don and shrugged, before pushing herself to her feet and following.

* * *

As it turns out, she's pretty good at Super Smash Brothers once she gets the hang of it.


	4. Can't Shake You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can't shake you  
> No matter how hard I try  
> I can't shake you  
> And I don't know why
> 
> \- Gloriana, Can't Shake You

When Liz wakes it's still early. She can tell because she can hear Raph snoring softly and Mikey's quite murmuring. She glances down at the two brothers closest to her. Mikey is sprawled on his back, mouth open and arms spread wide. Don, on the other hand, is curled up, as much on his side as his shell will allow, and is snuffling quietly into his pillow. She smiles at Bruce, who is balled into the crook of Don's elbow, tail twitching occasionally in his sleep.

She rolls over to check on the other two. Raph, like Mikey, takes up a lot of space, even in sleep. Unlike his youngest brother, however, Raph is on his front, big bulky shell sticking out like a vanguard. Liz spots a hastily scrawled line of text on the edge of his carapace that reads 'Mikey was here' and snorts.

A soft smile spreads across her face when she comes to Leo. The usually composed brother is surprisingly disorganized in sleep, limbs in every direction. Like Don, he's partially on his side, the blanket he's kicked off tangled around his feet. He's clutching a pillow into which he's buried his face, and is making the most adorable little huffing sounds as he dreams.

The smile slides off her face as she remembers why she woke up so early.

The shadow. The dreams had started around the time Splinter had her start meditating with Senketsu, but by the time she'd realized that something had changed, it was too late.

It had started as a blur, a wisp of blackness at the corners of her dreams. Now, it was a fully formed figure made completely of black smoke. Initially she had thought it just another part of her subconscious, until it started talking. She never remembers what, exactly, they speak about, but sometimes she wakes with entire conversations in her head that she's positive didn't initially involve her, words and phrases that make no sense, information that she's sure she didn't know before going to sleep.

She's not sure what, exactly, is going on, but the shadow has made no move to hurt her or her little adoptive family, and it remains solidly a part of her dreams. She goes about her day confident that if she was to look over her shoulder she wouldn't see the figure. Besides, she doubts any of the brothers or their master would be able to help, even if she did speak up.

So she says nothing about the shadow.

* * *

They’ve started to sing.

Leo is…well, to be completely honest, Leo is lurking. He’s hiding in the shadows just outside the kitchen, listening to Mikey and Liz make dinner, as has become their custom. It started with Liz teaching Mikey how to pan fry shrimp and morphed into the two of them making dinner on all of the nights they don’t have pizza, which have been increasing, as of late.

Country music was almost unheard of in the lair before Liz’s arrival, but seeing as she’s a big fan, Mikey has taken to playing it whenever they’re in the kitchen together. Now the warm notes of an acoustic guitar are floating through the air, followed by Liz’s clear mezzo-soprano and Mikey’s light baritone.

They fall into perfect harmony, reciting the lyrics as if they’ve heard this song a hundred times and sung it together just as much. When Liz trails off Mikey is there to pick up the chorus, and the both of them match up when the song reaches a crescendo. The song is about love and heartache, and the lyrics have a distinctive melancholy feel to them, brought into sharp focus by the way Liz’s lilt fits so comfortably with Mikey’s. Leo’s gut clenches with something he’s not used to but easily identifies.

Jealousy flares hot in the pit of his stomach, a scorching trail to his heart, where it squeezes mercilessly. He freezes, unsure as to his reaction. Is he jealous of Liz, who seems to get along so well with every member of his family, even Raph? No. No, that’s not it. The next second and it comes to him like a body-blow, the realization that he’s fiercely jealous of _Mikey_. That his little brother can so easily stand next to Liz, who has filled their home with warmth and selfless concern, causes his mouth to twist in displeasure. That all he wants to do is storm into the kitchen and throw Mikey out like some kind of caveman is humiliating. As he stands outside the kitchen and eavesdrops, he realizes, somewhat belatedly, that all of his good intentions were for naught. Initially, he tried to keep his distance, afraid that a woman in such close proximity would inevitably lead to dissent amongst him and his brothers. While said brothers had been accepting Liz into their family, he had been hanging back, and had fallen head over heels in love with her without even realizing it. He swallows thickly, wanting to walk away, to remove himself from the situation in light of his revelation, but for some reason his feet won’t move. He can’t walk away, can’t stop himself from listening in while his younger brother and Liz sing about being unable to move on.

The song is starting to wind down, the two of them still in perfect synch, when the timer dings. They break off just as the song ends, and Leo hears Liz giggle and say something quietly to Mikey, who laughs and agrees. The puttering and noise of cooking picks up a little, covering another song that’s come on so that the vocals are drowned out. Just the tune can be heard; a happier, more upbeat melody starts up and Leo can hear Liz humming along.

“Leo?” He turns around to see Don coming up behind him, head tilted questioningly. He shakes his head and opens his mouth to speak, but is interrupted by Liz sticking her head out of the kitchen.

“Oh, hey guys. Can you two set the table, please?” She asks, grin making her face light up and Leo’s heart do a little flip.

Crap, he is so screwed.

He nods wordlessly and moves towards the kitchen with Don, only to turn back at the last moment to see Liz frowning into the empty den.

“Hey, where’s Raph?”

All three brothers freeze.

Over the past few weeks they’ve taken to running a patrol through the tunnels, which has been bringing them into conflict with groups of Foot soldiers more and more often. They’re careful that they’re never seen, and they rarely go out in groups larger than two, but all four of them know the dangers of being caught.

“Uh, he needed some air.” Says Leo, somewhat lamely. Liz turns her frown on him, but he’s saved from having to lie more by a thud from the dojo, announcing Raph’s return. The hulking mass of his brother appears a second later, head tilted as he sniffs the air.

“Did I miss dinner?” He asks. Liz blinks at him, eyes flicking over his form, as if checking for injuries, before shaking her head.

“No, but since everyone else helped with set up, you can do dishes.” She says sweetly, turning away and missing the look the two brothers share.

* * *

Liz sat next to Splinter on the couch in the dark, waiting patiently.

"Okay, how about this one, why does Snoop Dogg smile like he knows something you don't?" She asked.

"Why?" Asked Splinter.

"Because he's been snoopin' around." She said with a grin, wiggling her fingers. Splinter sighed and shook his head.

"You got any better ones?" She asked. Splinter stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"I did hear one from Michelangelo the other day. What did baby corn say to mommy corn?"

"What?" Liz asked.

"Where is popcorn?" Liz had to turn away to stifle her snicker, but it was in that moment that she heard the huge circular door in the dojo creak open.

"Is he here?" She heard Raph whisper. Then Leo said, "I don't see him. Donnie?"

"My thermal scans indicate that there's a 74% variable that there's a 64% chance that he's not…" He was, of course, interrupted by Mikey.

"He's not here, guys."

"Alright, fall in. Quietly." Came Leo's voice.

She could hear all four of them drop to the dojo floor and then Mikey whispering about some girl and "dibs." He was quickly shushed by his brothers.

"If Master Splinter catches us he'll send us back to the Hashi." Came Leo's voice. Raph cut in, voice almost too low for her to hear. Then Mikey again, before the four of them started violently shushing each other.

Liz turned to look at Master Splinter and he nodded, standing from the couch and taking up his flashlight. As they stepped into the room behind the brothers Liz hung back, leaning against the doorway.

"Sorry I spit in your eye, bro." Mikey was saying. Leo started to say something before Liz saw Don's shoulders tense.

"Uh, guys." He said quietly.

"We've got a bogie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, guys. Real life decided to get in the way. The next chapter's already started, though, so it shouldn't take too long. 
> 
> And here we have a little preview of things to come :)


	5. Poison Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why I needed you more  
> I don't know how you got through the door  
> I don't know where you were
> 
> \- The Last Goodnight, Poison Kiss

Liz tossed and turned in her hammock, but no matter what she did she couldn't drown out the sounds of the brothers in the Hashi. It had been 6 hours already and it had only gotten worse the longer it went on.

Liz felt a little like crying. She didn't truly understand her feelings, but she did know it had been upsetting learning what, exactly, a Hashi was. It felt a little too much like torture, though Splinter had assured her that it was designed to exploit the brother's weaknesses, not cause lasting harm. She still didn't entirely agree with the rat's methods, but he was, well, a rat. She couldn't fault him for his lack of humanity, especially when all he wanted was the safety of the brothers.

Finally, she swung herself out of her hammock, knowing sleep would be impossible. Instead, she went and curled up with Bruce on Donnie’s bed, clutching the purring ball of fur to her chest.

She wondered about the severity of her earlier reactions. She’d looked to Leo, because first and foremost he was supposed to be the responsible one, protecting his younger siblings. He’d met her eyes for the briefest of moments before lowering his to the floor. It had felt like a body blow.

She'd had to excuse herself when Splinter really got started, hiding in the bathroom until she could no longer hear the rat's angry yelling about 'caution' and 'diligence'. Then she'd been bombarded with the sight of the brothers having to set up the Hashi. That was when she went and curled up in bed, burrowing under her pillows and trying to drown out the sounds.

She knew she cared for the brothers. Donatello had become a close friend, someone whom she could talk to about almost anything and be intellectually met, and often exceeded. She enjoyed his company and his quiet nature, and the two often played board games together or chatted about books over coffee. Raph, too, had opened up over the months she'd been living with them. He would spar with her occasionally, the only brother willing to do so. She had quickly become something of a confidant for him, someone he could talk to and know that his thoughts and opinions wouldn't be mocked or passed on to his brothers. Mikey, who was loud and constantly upbeat, made her heart ache for her own brother, but he also made her smile the most. The two of them had made a tradition of having game nights, where they would gorge themselves with junk food and play video games until the early hours of the morning, playfully slinging insults.

And then there was Leo.

Liz sighed, turning over and pulling a purring Bruce a little closer to her chest. He butted his head under her chin.

Leo was an enigma. Of the four brothers he had kept the most distance between them. She had thought it might be because she was female, but she quickly realized he did it with everyone. Leo was the type to protect himself almost as fiercely as he protected his family. Where Raph wore his heart on his sleeve, Leo kept his closely guarded. True, he had opened up considerably, but he was still reserved. It was something of a blessing, actually. The two of them could sit in companionable silence, the only person Liz had met with whom quiet never became uncomfortable. It was through this quiet camaraderie that they had gotten close. When the others got too loud she would seek out Leo and just sit down next to him, sometimes with a book, sometimes with Senketsu, and just close her eyes and breath in his calming presence.

That wasn’t to say he wasn’t loud, because when he and Raph got going, it was like sitting in the middle of a storm.

She sighed, stroking one of Bruce’s ears and trying to remember the training Splinter had been teaching her, breathing deep and reaching inside for something to anchor herself with, to drown out the noises of pain from the dojo.

It was still a long time before sleep came.

* * *

Liz was gently shaken awake.

She blinked, rubbing her eyes and looking up at Splinter, who was watching her with an expression of forced calm.

“I require a favor from you, Miss Jackson.” He said. She sat up, dislodging Bruce from his perch. He meowed unhappily before trotting away.

“Sure.” She said.

30 minutes later she was sliding back into the lair with a cardboard box in her hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken so long and it's so short, real life has been tough lately. Hopefully will get to the next chapter this weekend. Hope you enjoy.


End file.
